Flood of Assam and It's Solution

Gateway to the East "Assam"

Assam  is a state in north-eastern India, situated south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of 78,438 km² (30,285 sq mi). The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to the east; Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh to the south; and West Bengal to the west via the Siliguri Corridor, a 22 kilometres (14 mi) strip of land that connects the state to the rest of India.

Assam is known for Assam tea and Assam silk. The state has conserved the one-horned Indian rhinoceros from near extinction, along with the wild water buffalo, pygmy hog, tiger and various species of Asiatic birds, and provides one of the last wild habitats for the Asian elephant. The Assamese economy is aided by wildlife tourism to Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park, which are World Heritage Sites. Sal tree forests are found in the state which, as a result of abundant rainfall, look green all year round. Assam receives more rainfall than most parts of India; this rain feeds the Brahmaputra River, whose tributaries and oxbow lakes provide the region with a hydro-geomorphic environment.

The Mighty Brahmaputra: This is the world’s 6th largest river in terms of water resources carrying 629.05 km3/ year. The total length of the river is 2,906 km, with 918 km flowing through India, which includes 640 km flowing through Assam. It has 41 tributaries, with 26 flowing in the North bank and 15 in the South bank.

Immediate cause of floods: Heavy rains in Arunachal Pradesh, Bhutan and Upper Assam have resulted in the Brahmaputra and its tributaries to flow above the danger mark. The excess water has broken embankments in many places causing severe floods along the route, especially in regions of Lower Assam. Between Brahmaputra valley and the North East Hills, the average rainfall during monsoons varies between 2,480 mm to 6,350 mm, respectively. Due to excess rainfall, water gushes towards lower parts of Assam. The problem is further compounded by human settlements along the river and its various tributaries, thereby restricting the flow to follow its natural spread in times of flood. The building of embankments along the Brahmaputra and its tributaries has only added to flooding waters breaking embankments. Drainage congestion due to building of railway bridges, roads and culverts have restricted the natural flow of waters, forcing it to back flow and break embankments in vulnerable areas. Lack of countryside drainage through construction of sluices at critical points have also added to drainage congestion.

#Major causes of flood and soil erosion:

Natural causes: Geology and Geomorphology of the region, Physiographic condition in the valley, Seismic activity, Excessive rainfall.

Man-made causes: Drainage congestion due to man-made embankments, Human encroachment of riverine areas.

Lack of Commitment and Vision: Assam Government in its Budget provisions for 2019-20 only allotted Rs 921 crore has been allocated for expenditure on minor irrigation and Rs 672 crore has been provided as capital outlay for flood control projects.

The Solution:

1. There has been excess emphasis for investing in structural solutions like building of embankments and little focus on natural flood control mechanisms based on local topography.

While people living along the rivers have traditionally developed their own means of surviving the raging waters, those living around the safer areas next to embankments have often been caught by surprise.

2. It is time for the government and related agencies to review the existing policy of building embankments without considering natural outlets for excess water to flow. This will work best when local people are made stakeholders in finding localized solutions based on local topography.

3. During floods, lack of clean drinking water is the biggest problem. Today, thanks to innovative science, there are several low-cost water filtration and purification technologies available, which people can deploy in times of floods. The government must spend more in creating awareness and making the same available at subsidized cost to people.

Let’s hope the government gives much attention to the problem and investment to ensure that in future Assam will be better prepared to meet the monsoons.